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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: present · land · swing · bass · board · hand · arm · band

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. bass — low music
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. hand — in cards
  5. swing — in golf
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. board — to get on
  8. swing — to play on
  9. land — ground
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. present — the time now
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. band — a music group
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. present — there
  16. band — a ring
  17. bass — the fish
  18. land — a country
  19. present — a gift
  20. swing — music
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. land — to come down

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com